Water drive



w; BALDWIN July 14, 1925.

wngn DRIVE:

Original FiIed -M'ay; 14, 1921* power varies Patented July 14, 1925.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WATER DRIVE. I

Original application filed May 14., 1921,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK WALKER BALDWIN, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain, and a. resident of Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Canada, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in lVater Drives, which inventionis fully set forth in the following specification. I

This invention relates to an improved water drive for vessels andparticularly to a water propeller drive for securing very high speeds inhydrodromes, hydroplanes and the like.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide improved meanswhereby a maximum amount of power may be transmitted to a propellershaft. I

In my application, Serial Number 469,725, filed May 14, 1921, of whichthis is a division, 1 have diagrammatically illustrated one embodimentof this invention installed in a vessel, wherein is employed asimplehorizontal gear, preferably mounted upon a large race with roller orball bearings, and which gear is rotated by a plurality of motors (asmany as six or more, if'desired). The propeller is mounted on adownwardly and rearwardly inclined shaft to the up er end of which issecured av pinion that mes ms with the lower face of said horizontalgear.

Aside from the simplicity of construction and effectiveness intransmitting the power of the motors to the propeller, my improved driveis of importance from the point of view of speed in the provision of asingle driving shaft. The strength of the shaft and its ability totransmit a given horseas the cube of its diameter, whereas itsresistance in the water varies directly as its diameter. Thus, if aone-inch shaft can transmit 100 horsepower at a given R. P. M., then atwo-inch shaft can transmit ,800 horsepower at the same R. P. M., andyet the two-inch shaft has only twice the resistance in the water thatthe one-inch shaft has. Therefore, the underwater resistance is thesame, yet the power transmitted is four times as great with a singleshaft as with two smaller shafts.

The invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein is shown one expression of the inventive idea, andwherein V Fig. l is a side elevation of a. hydrodrome car provided withmy improved drive;

Serial No. 469,725. Divided and this application filed January 19, 1923.Serial No. 613,704.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic'top plan view of one embodiment of'myinvention; and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fi 2.

lleferring' to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer tolike parts throughout the several views, 1 is a hydro drome car, adaptedto be supported when moving at-high speed through the water by sets ofhydrofoils 2.

Suitably secured within the hull of car 1 at any convenient point is thebearing member 3, which supports a ring gear 4. Ball bearings 5, or anyother suitable friction reducing means, is preferably interposed betweengear 4 and bearing member 3.

The upper face 6 of gear 4, as well as the lower face 7 thereof, isbeveled and toothed. In engagement with the upper toothed portion ofgear 4 are a plurality of bevelv pinions 8 carried on the ends of shafts9 operatively connected'to engines 10. Preferably, said engines arearranged in diametrically disposed pairs with their shafts radial withrespect to the center of gear 4.

Suitable clutch means 11 may be interposed between shafts 9 and engines10 in order that one or more of the engines may be disconnected at will.Reversing mechanism, diagrammatically illustrated at 12, 12, may beemployed in connection with a sufficient number of engines to give theorder that pinions 8 may be maintained rigidly in contact with gear 4,any suitable bearing means 13 may be employed to support shafts 9adjacent said pinions.

Engaging the lower toothed portion of gear 4 is the pinion 14 secured toone end of shaft 15. A propeller 16 is secured to the opposite end ofshaft 15, the latter being suitably supported by struts 17, 18 and bymeans of bearing or stuifing box 19 secured to the bottom portion of thehull of car 1.

The operation of my improved water drive is as follows. Any one or allof the opposed motors or engines 10 being started by hand or byelectrically actuated means (not shown), clutches 11 are thrown andpower is transmitted to propeller shaft 15 by backing or reversing powerdesired. In.

means of p-inions 8, ring gear 4 and pinion The speed of the craft maybe controlled by throttling the supply of fuel to the motors in a wellknown manner, or by cutting in or out one or more of the motors.

It will be perceived that my improved disposition and arrangement ofengines or motors and transmission mechanism greatly reduces the numberof elements in said mechanism, greatly decreasw the cost of in-.

stallation, requires a minimum of space, re-

duces the underwater resistance, and takes advantage of the greatreduction of weight obtained by using motors having a number of smallcylinders and of the facility with which any engine can be cut out orbrought into action at will for the purpose of decreasing or increasingthe power output or for the purpose of facilitating starting andmanoeuvring.

While the invention has been illustrated as embodied in a waterpropeller drive for a hydrodrome car, it is to be expressly understoodthat the invention is equally applicable to the driving of any shaftwhere/it is desired to deliver a maximum of power. Furthermore, anydesired number of motors or engines may be employed and since certainfeatures of the invention are capable of use without other featuresthereof, the limits of the invention are who determined by reference tothe claims hereto appended,

What is claimed is tion with a hull, a plurality of power units radiallydisposed in pairs about a common point on the longitudinal axis of thehull,

said units being provided with inwardly extending shafts, a horizontallydispose flywheel mounted to rotate about said common point in-a planelocated below said shafts, said flywheel being provided with gear teethon its upper and lower faces, means for selectively establishing adriving connection between the upper gear teeth of the flywheel and oneor more of said units, propelling means including a shaft, said shaftextending through said hull at an angle to the plane of said flywheel,anddriving means secured to said shaft and having engagement with theteeth on vthe lower face of said flywheel. Y

2. A waterdrive comprising in combinadisconnectingtthe drivingconnection between said flywheel and an one of said units,propellingmeans inclu ing a shaft extending through said hull at .anangle to the plane of said flywheel, and a pinion se- 1. A Water drivecomprising in combina-.

cured to the upper end of said shaft and having drivin engagement withthe teeth on the lower ace of said flywheel.

In testimony whereof have signed this specification.

FREDERICK BALDWIN.

